Chapter 174: Rank Up

When Kaiser’s vision finally cleared, he found himself standing inside a massive cave. The cave was so large that he could barely see the ceiling above him. Strange green moss covered the walls and ceiling, giving off a faint glow that illuminated the surrounding area.

Kaiser looked around carefully as the Cosmic System’s notifications appeared in front of him.

[Rank-Up Trial]

[Chosen Difficulty: Nightmare]

[Trial Objective: Clear the Pit of Maleficnite.]

[Trial Environment: Nightcrawler Dweller Dungeon]

[Maximum Monster Level: 300]

[Failure Condition: Death]

Kaiser read through the notifications before looking toward the darkness ahead.

"A dungeon with monsters reaching Level 300?"

His expression remained calm. If this had been before his undead acquired Rules, he might have been slightly worried. But now, dealing with monsters of this level was almost a cakewalk for him.

"Now, whom should I choose?" he mumbled.

Calling all of his undead would be complete overkill.

"Rachel it is."

Kaiser had chosen Rachel because Nightcrawlers, as their name suggested, were creatures attuned to darkness. With her powers as a Priestess of Ruin, Rachel was the best counter against them.

On top of that, she possessed the Rule of Fallen Light, making her extremely powerful. She could easily contend with Rank 5 opponents...as long as othere party did not possess a Rule of their own.

A burst of soft light suddenly appeared beside Kaiser, and Rachel stepped out.

After comprehending the Rule of Fallen Light, her presence had become even more ethereal and enigmatic. The soft golden light surrounding her made her appearance seem almost otherworldly.

"Hmm, where is this place?" Rachel asked as she looked around.

Kaiser gave her a brief explanation of the trial and the dungeon.

Rachel nodded after listening.

"For this, My knights are enough."

She smiled slightly and raised her hand.

A soft golden light spread through the area.

The next moment, more than a hundred figures emerged from the light.

Ruination Knights.

They looked both holy and impure at the same time, creating a strange contrast that somehow made them even more beautiful and majestic.

The knights wore armor made from white and golden steel, while golden-black Ruination Energy moved around their bodies. The energy flowed behind them like a soft cloak, constantly shifting with their movements.

Kaiser stared at them for a moment.

’My undead create such cool undead.’

He couldn’t help but admire them.

Rachel raised her hand and calmly gave her order.

"Go on a killing spree. Leave nothing alive."

The eyes of all the Ruination Knights suddenly lit up with golden flames.

"Yes, Lady Rachel."

Their voices echoed through the cave as they moved forward together, marching as one.

Kaiser and Rachel followed behind them.

Not long after, they encountered their first group of Nightcrawlers.

The creatures were unlike anything Kaiser had seen before. They were humanoid in shape, but their bodies were completely pitch black. They had no visible eyes, nose, or other facial features.

It was almost as if someone had shaped a mass of darkness into a humanoid form.

Then the creature’s mouth suddenly opened.

Rows of long, jagged teeth appeared inside, stretching across its entire face.

The Nightcrawler released a strange screech as its body began changing. Sharp claws emerged from its hands and feet before it suddenly rushed toward the approaching Ruination Knights.

Kaiser looked at the creatures and frowned slightly.

"These guys really give me the creeps."

The Nightcrawlers continued rushing toward them, their claws tearing through the air as they prepared to attack.

The battle began the moment the Nightcrawlers reached the Ruination Knights. The creatures moved with surprising speed, their bodies flickering through the darkness as they attacked from different directions.

One Nightcrawler suddenly appeared beside a Ruination Knight and swung its sharp claws toward the knight’s chest.

Clang!

The claws struck the knight’s armor but failed to leave even a scratch.

The Ruination Knight calmly raised its sword and swung it downward.

Slash!

The Nightcrawler was split in half, its pitch-black body falling to the ground.

More Nightcrawlers rushed forward, but the result was the same. The Ruination Knights moved as one, their golden-black Ruination Energy constantly flowing around them as they cut down one Nightcrawler after another.

Kaiser watched the battle from behind with Rachel.

"The difference is pretty big," he muttered.

The Nightcrawlers were powerful creatures, but against the Ruination Knights, they had almost no chance.

One of the Nightcrawlers suddenly changed its target and rushed toward Kaiser.

Its claws flashed as it struck directly toward his chest.

Kaiser didn’t even bother moving.

A Ruination Knight instantly appeared in front of him and blocked the attack with its shield.

Bang!

The Nightcrawler was pushed backward.

The knight immediately followed up with a sword strike, cutting through the creature’s body and killing it instantly.

Kaiser looked at the corpse on the ground.

"These Nightcrawlers have such pure darkness energy."

He walked over and crouched beside the corpse before storing it inside his storage space.

"Such a pure darkness body should definitely be useful."

Kaiser planned to use the corpse for future experiments or undead creation. A body with such a strong affinity toward darkness could potentially become a very useful material.

Meanwhile, more and more Nightcrawlers emerged from the darkness.

The number of creatures continued increasing, but the Ruination Knights showed no signs of slowing down.

One knight moved forward and killed another Nightcrawler with a single slash.

Then another.

And another.

Soon, the cave was filled with the sounds of battle.

However, the fight was completely one-sided.

Whenever one Ruination Knight was pushed back, another immediately moved forward to replace it. If two knights were surrounded, three more would immediately join them.

The Nightcrawlers were completely overwhelmed.

Kaiser and Rachel simply followed behind the knights as they continued deeper into the dungeon.

After some time, the number of Nightcrawlers gradually decreased.

The Ruination Knights had killed hundreds of them, and Kaiser had stored several of their corpses for later use.

Eventually, the surroundings became unusually quiet.

Kaiser stopped walking.

"It looks like we’ve reached the end."

Rachel nodded.

The next moment, a powerful aura suddenly spread through the entire cave.

The ground trembled violently.

Boom!

A massive amount of dark energy erupted from deeper inside the dungeon, causing the surrounding walls to shake.

The Ruination Knights immediately stopped moving and raised their weapons.